Sapta-Sindhu meaning 7 rivers is the term which gave birth to the word “Hindu”. Sapta-Sindhu was referred to as Hapta-Hindu by Persians etc. The people of this region and culture, the Sapta-Saindhavas were referred to as hapta-Haindavas by Persians etc. . The term is found in Avesta of Zoroastrians.
Scholars are not of same opinion on the names and identity of the seven rivers of Sapta sindhu. Most of the scholars agree that the heartland of Rigvedic Aryans was modern Afghanistan, Punjab (Pakistan & India), Haryana & Rajasthan. Further, Kubha River (Kabul), Suwastu (Swat) Kramu (Kurram) & Gomati (Gomal) Rivers have also got place in texts. The Ganga & Yamuna which were mentioned in later Vedic texts indicated the eastern boundary of the Sapta Saindhava Region.
There is a verse in Nadistuti sukta of Rigveda , hymn of praise of rivers which mentions the following 10 rivers: Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Sutudri, Parusni, Asikni, Marudvrdha , Vitasta , Arjikiya , Susoma. The Shutudri was Sutlej, Parushni was Ravi, Asikni was Chenab and Vitasta was Jhelum.
The majority of the scholars believe that Sindhu & Saraswati (located in Rajasthan) were the most popular and sacred rivers of that era. Some scholars are of the opinion that the hymns in praise of the Saraswati are probably some of the oldest, composed more than 8000 years ago. The 5 rivers Sutudri, Parusni, Asikni, Vitasta, Vipas all were tributaries of Sindhu River. Together with Sarasawti and Sindhu, these 5 rivers constituted the Sapta Sindhu.
However saraswati has been mentioned as saptasvasa, which means she with 7 sisters. So, This further leads to a group of 8 Rivers.

With Which Countries India Has a Free Trade Agreement ?

ASEAN:
Free Trade Agreement negotiations with ASEAN started in 2002, and came into force from January 1, 2009.

India Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement:
India Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement was signed by the Prime Minister of India and the President of Sri Lanka on 28 December 1999.

Thailand & Malaysia:
India has a separate Free Trade Agreement with Thailand and Malaysia other than the India-ASEAN FTA.

CEPA with Singapore and South Korea:
India and South Korea had signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement in August 2009. This was the second CEPA signed by India, the other being with Singapore. This was also India’s first bilateral trade agreement with an OECD country.

PTA:
Apart from the above, India has PTA (Preferential Trade Agreements with) Chile, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal & MERCOSURSAFTA:
The Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) came into force from 1st January, 2006. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are categorized as Non-Least Developed Contracting States (NLDCS) and Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal are categorized as Least Developed Contracting States (LDCS). Afghanistan which became the eighth member of SAARC during the 14th SAARC Summit held on 3-4 April 2007 in New Delhi is due to become a party to the SAFTA Agreement as an LDC member.

Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal recently called for substantially increasing the number of students joining colleges for higher studies after completing their schooling.

“In India, nearly 220 million students go to schools and around 14 million go to colleges. Our Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), that is the percentage of students going from schools to colleges, is only 12.4 percent,” said Sibal here at a seminar on education reforms.

He added, “This is a matter of worry as in other developed countries GER is not less than 40 to 50 percent. If we talk about the research sector, then in Europe for every million people not less than 6,000 go for research, in the US this number is 4,700 whereas in India it is just 156.”

He said that we have to make sure that by 2020 India’s GER increases to 30 percent.

“At presently 480 universities and 22,000 colleges are fulfilling the need of 12.4 percent GER. If we have to reach a mark of 30 percent GER, in the next 10 years we need around 700 to 1,000 universities and nearly 45,000 colleges,” he said.

He said the definition of wealth has changed globally and it now refers to ideas, innovation and creativity that are intellectual assets.

Sibal said changes are needed in school education as well.

He said that no government can run schools efficiently therefore there should be a transfer of ownership to community from the government.

“Under the Right to Education Act, we have impressed on the need of involving 75 percent people from the locality, out of which 50 percent should be women, in a school management committee. Ownership should be gradually transferred to the community and people, especially mothers ofstudents, should decide a school’s operations,” said Sibal.

Talking on exam reforms, he said, “We need to move away from the examination system to creativity. There should be no exams or boards. We require a constant evaluation not for those skills that a student does not have but for those that he actually possesses.” IANS

2. Name the magazine that brought the world of the Gauls to us way back in 1959.

3. In how many adventures have our heroes featured so far (including the new adventure released last week)?

4. Who are Astronomix and Vanilla?

5. Name the only two adventures not to have the name of Asterix in the title.

6. Which was the first album and which was the one the creators working on Goscinny passed away in 1977?

7. Name the translators who have done a fantastic job of bringing the adventures alive complete with ‘punny’ jokes to millions of English readers.

8. ‘Asterix and the Banquet’ gave us, depending on the translation, Ideefix, Kutta Bhaunkix or Snupix. How do we better know this integral character?

9. Why can’t Obelix have magic potion when the rest of the villagers can take it?

10. In the context of English versions of the books, what is so special about the plate on Page 35 of the first adventure?

11. Name all the three live-action films made on the adventures of our friends.

12. Over the last 50 years, many a memorable name has been part of the series. So in which book do we meet: (i): Ptenisnet, (ii): Anticlimax, (iii): Cassius Ceramix?

13. Our heroes have also made a visit to our country. In which adventure?

14. What can one visit at Plailly, about 35 km north of Paris, in the département of Oise?

15. Which was the first adventure to be written and drawn by Albert Uderzo

Answer to Young World Quiz (October 27, 2009)

Answers:

1. Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
2. ‘Pilote’
3. Thirty four translated into 107 languages or dialects
4. The father of Asterix and mother of Obelix
5. ‘The Mansions of the Gods’ and ‘Obelix & Co’
6. ‘Asterix the Gaul’ and ‘Asterix in Belgium’
7. Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge
8. Dogmatix
9. Because of falling into a cauldron of the potion as a kid
10. It was redrawn by Albert Uderzo’s brother Marcel in 1970 because the original was lost
11. ‘Asterix and Obelix take on Caesar’, ‘Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra’ and ‘Asterix at the Olympic Games’
12. (i): ‘Asterix the Gladiator’, (ii): ‘Asterix in Britain’, (iii): ‘Asterix and the Big Fight’
13. ‘Asterix and the Magic Carpet’
14. Parc Asterix
15. ‘Asterix and the Great Divide’

In the Young World quiz dated September 29, question 12 was ‘In which State is the place where Gautama the Buddha attained Nirvana?’ The answer should have been Uttar Pradesh and not as mentioned. The error is regretted.

Library of kendriya Vidyalaya Baramulla is one of the richest among KV libraries in India .It was started in 1985.We have a collection of Three thousand four hundred books .We subscribe forty three titles of periodicals and Five news papers.Class libraries are working in classes one to second. Automation of thelibrary is in progress and every effort is made to satisfy the needs of the users.Under the active guidence 0f our principal Mr B S Gharooo the library has become a modern and reader friendly information and reference centre.

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